Variable-diameter pen nib



Aug. 22, 1967 H. E. DIAMOND 3,336,909

VARIABLE-DIAMETER PEN NIB Filed Jan. 14, 1966 5 jL, g 1 INVENTOR n 44 30 98 22 I BY Harvey E. Diamond r... J 30 26 7M United States Patent 3,336,909 VARIABLE-DIAMETER PEN NIB Harvey E. Diamond, 2940 Ocean Parkway, Apt. 20A, Brookiyn, N.Y. 11235 Filed Jan. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 520,777 6 Claims. (Cl. 120-44) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of the invention With conventional structure of this type, the width of the line produced by the pen is determined by the outer diameter of the free end of the capillary tube. At the present time, it is essential to have on hand a plurality of pen nibs having capillary tubes of different wall thicknesses so that the free ends thereof will have different sizes, thus making it possible, by selection of a proper nib, to provide a line of a selected width. However, the disadvantage of providing individual pen nibs for producing lines of different widths, respectively, resides in the fact that it is essential to have on hand a number of pen nibs for no other purpose than providing lines of a given width, and when the width of the line is to be changed, it is necessary for the operator to remove one pen nib and attach another pen nib to the remainder of the pen, in the case where the pen holder can have a selected one of a plurality of pen nibs interchangeably connected therewith. Otherwise, it is necessary to duplicate the entire pen structure so as to have on hand a plurality of pens to provide lines of different widths, respectively. In either event there is a considerable duplication of structure and/or a considerable inconvenience in removing one pen nib and attaching another to the body of a pen.

Summary of the invention It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to avoid the above drawbacks byproviding a single pen nib which can be very easily and quickly manipulated by the operator to adjust it selectively to produce any one of a plurality of diiferent line widths.

Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a pen nib which can accomplish the above objects while at the same time having a simple rugged construction which operates very reliably.

In accordance with the invention there are situated in telescopic association with the capillary tube of the pen nib, one or more shiftable sleeves of progressively increasing diameter, by use of which a plurality of different thicknesses or widths of ink line may be produced. Each of these tubes is successively displaceable between oper ative and inoperative positions with respect to the capillary tube. When each successive tube is moved to operative position, it has its free end substantially flush with the free end of the capillary tube so as to increase the area of the ink-applying end of the nib, thus to increase the width of the line.

Brief description of the drawing The invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings which form part of the application, and in which:

Patented Aug. 22, 1967 FIG. 1 is a partly fragmentary side elevation of one possible construction of a pen nib according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of the structure of FIG. 1, drawn to an enlarged scale, and showing details of the structure.

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing one of the sleeves moved down to operative position against a surface which receives the ink line.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring now to the drawings, the pen nib 10 illustrated therein includes an outer housing 12 having an upper tubular extension 14 provided with threads 16 so that it can be joined in a well known manner to the body of a pen. The hollow interior of the tubular extension 14 of the housing 12 accommodates the ink supply. As is shown in FIG. 2, a weight 18 is longitudinally movable in the hollow interior of the tubular extension 14.

At the lower end of the tubular extension 14, the housing 12 has a transverse, axially bored wall 20 fixedly carrying a capillary tube 22 which extends downwardly through and beyond the tubular extension 24 which is threaded onto and forms part of the housing 12. A wire 25 is axially movable within the capillary tube 22 and is fixedly secured at its top end to the weight 18. This wire extends downwardly beyond the lower free end 26 of the tube 22 when the nib is not being used. When the free end 26 of the nib is applied to a given surface which is to receive the ink or the like, the portion of the wire 25 which extends beyond the free end 26 is displaced upwardly into the capillary tube 22 so that as the nib is drawn across the surface, the ink will flow onto and spread by surface tension across the free end 26 to provide a line whose width is determined by the diameter of the free end 26 of the tube 22.

The above-described structure is conventional. In accordance with the invention, a line-width varying means cooperates with the capillary tube 22 so as to increase thewidth of the line provided by the nib 10 if the operator s-o desires.

This line-width varying means includes at least one additional tube 28 which telescopically surrounds and is axially slidable along the capillary tube 22. The tube 28 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. in its inoperative position where its free end 30 is retracted from the free end 26 of the capillary tube. However, the tube 28 can be axially projected along the tube 22 to an operative position where the free end 30 is substantially flush with the free end 26, so that by surface tension the ink will spread beyond the free end 26 and across the free end 30 of the tube 28, so as to provide in this way a wider line.

A manually operable means is connected with the tube 28 so as to move the latter between its operative and inoperative positions. This manually operable means includes a manually-engageable member 32 which extends through an elongated slot 34 formed in the outer wall of the housing 12 (FIG. 2). This slot 34 extends longitudinally of the tube 23, and the manually engageable member 32 is fixed with the tube 28 so that when the operator displaces the member 32 downwardly along the slot 34 the end 30 of the tube 28 can be moved to its a resilient member 36 which is fixed at its outer end to and supports the inanually-engageable member 32 and is =39 fixed at its inner end to a ring 38 which is fixed directly onto the upper free end of the tube 28.

In addition, the invention includes means for releasably locking the tube 28 in its operative and inoperative positions. For this purpose, the slot 34 is provided in the region of its lower end, where the member 32 is located when the tube 28 is in its operative position, with a laterally extending bayonet notch 40* into which the member 32 is releasably disposed to retain element 28 in its operative position. The springy nature of the connecting member 36 will provide a slight yieldability of the end 30 with respect to the end 26 in response to manipulation of the nib by the operator, when the additional tube 28 is in its operative position.

The frictional engagement of the connecting member 36 between the tube 28 and the interior surface of the wall of housing 12 will retain the tube 28 in its upper inoperative position shown in FIG. 2. However, if desired, an additional bayonet notch may be provided at the upper end of the slot 34 to receive member 32 for releasably holding the tube 28 in its inoperative position.

To achieve great selectivity of line thickness, the linewidth varying means of the invention may include a further additional tube 42 which telescopically surrounds the additional tube 28 and which is axially movable therealong from the inoperative position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to an operative position where its free end M is substantially flush with the free ends 26 and 30. In this way, the ink will, due to surface tension, spread itself beyond the free end 30 across the free end 44 of the tube 42, to provide a line of even greater width.

The outer tube 4-2 is manipulated in the same way as the tube 28 with a substantially identical structure. Thus, a manually engageable member 46 extends through a slot 48 of the housing 12 to be accessible to the operator at a location angularly displaced from the manually engageable member 32, and this member 46 is connected by a resilient element St to a ring 52 which is fixed to the top end of the tube 42 in the interior of the housing 12. Also, the elongated slot 48 is provided in the region of its lower end with a bayonet notch 54 for receiving the member 46 to releasably hold the tube 42 in its operative position.

Thus, with the construction of the invention, it is possible for the operator either to leave the nib in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to provide a line of minimum width, or to project only the tube 28 to its operative position so as to provide a line of intermediate width, or to project both of the tubes 28 and 42 into their operative positions so as to provide a relatively heavy line of maximum width. Naturally, the invention is not limited to any particular number of telescoped tubes.

What is claimed is:

1. In a pen nib, the combination with an elongated capillary tube which has a free end adapted to apply ink or the like to a given surface while making a line whose width is determined by the outer diameter of said free end, and of a selective line-width varying means comprising at least a first additional tube coaxially surrounding and telescopically movable relative to the free end of said capillary tube and being movable between inoperative and operative positions with respect to the free end of said capillary tube, said line-width varying means when projected to its operative position having its free end substantially flush with and forming an extension of the free end of said capillary tube and increasing the inkapplying area of the nib beyond that of the free end of said capillary tube thus to produce a line wider than that produced by said free end of said capillary tube alone, manually operable means operatively connected with said line-Width varying means for displacing it relative to said capillary tube between said operative and inoperative positions, and releasable lock means cooperating with said line-width varying means for releasably locking the latter in its projected operative position and in its retracted inoperative position.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said linewidth varying means includes a second additional tube coaxially surrounding and telescopically displaceable longitudinally with respect to said first additional tube, said second additional tube in its inoperative position having its free end axially remote from said free end of said capillary tube and said second additional tube when projected axially along said first additional tube to its operative position having its free end substantially flush with and forming a further extension of the free end of said capillary tube to further increase the ink-applying area of the nib.

3. The combination of claim 2 and wherein a housing carries said capillary tube and accommodates in its interior said additional tubes for axial movement with respect to said capillary tube, said housing having an outer wall formed with a slot passing therethrough and extending longitudinally of said tubes, and a manuallyengageable member extending through said slot so as to be accessible to the operator and connected with each said additional tube so that displacement of said manually 'engageable member along said slot will displace said respective additional tube longitudinally of said capillary tube between said operative and inoperative positions.

4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said slot each has a lower end in the region of which said manually engageable member is situated when said respective additional tube is in said operative position thereof, and said wall of said housing being formed at the region of said lower end of said slot with a bayonet notch extending laterally from and communicating with said slot for receiving said manually engageable member so as to act through the latter on said additional tube for releasably holding said additional tube in said operative position thereof.

5. The combination of claim 3 and wherein a resilient member interconnects said manually engageable member with its respective additional tube.

6. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said linewidth varying means includes a plurality of telescoped tubes telescopically surrounding said capillary tube and being axially movable with respect thereto between said inoperative position where said tubes are displaced from said free end of said capillary tube and said operative position where a selected number of said telescoped tubes is situated in a position increasing the width of the line beyond that which can be achieved from the free end of the capillary tube alone, said plurality of telescoped tubes including at least an inner tube directly surrounding said capillary tube and an outer tube surrounding said inner tube, said inner tube when displaced to its operative position having a free end substantially flush with said free end of said capillary tube and said outer tube when displaced to its operative position having a free end substantially flush with the free end of said inner tube, whereby the operator can select whether to shift only said inner tube to its operative position to increase the width of the line to a predetermined extent or to shift both said inner and said outer tubes to said operative position for increasing the width of the line beyond the extent to which it is increased by said inner tube.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,247,828 4/ 1966 Basham --45.6

FOREIGN PATENTS 899,915 12/ 1953 Germany. 923,715 2/ 1955 Germany.

LAWRENCE CHARLES, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A PEN NIB, THE COMBINATION WITH AN ELONGATED CAPILLARY TUBE WHICH HAS A FREE END ADAPTED TO APPLY INK OR THE LIKE TO A GIVEN SURFACE WHILE MAKING A LINE WHOSE WIDTH IS DETERMINED BY THE OUTER DIAMETER OF SAID FREE END, AND OF A SELECTIVE LINE-WIDTH VARYING MEANS CONPRISING AT LEAST A FIRST ADDITIONAL TUBE COAXIALLY SURROUNDING AND TELESCOPICALLY MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE FREE END OF SAID CAPILLARY TUBE AND BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN INOPERATIVE AND OPERATIVE POSITIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE FREE END OF SAID CAPILLARY TUBE, SAID LINE-WIDTH VARYING MEANS WHEN PROJECTED TO ITS OPERATIVE POSITION HAVING ITS FREE END SUBSTANTIALLY FLUSH WITH AND FORMING AN EXTENSION OF THE FREE END OF SAID CAPILLARY TUBE AND INCREASING THE INKAPPLYING AREA OF THE NIB BEYOND THAT OF THE FREE END OF SAID CAPILLARY TUBE THUS TO PRODUCE A LINE WIDER THAN THAT PRODUCED BY SAID FREE END OF SAID CAPILLARY TUBE ALONE, MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID LINE-WIDTH VARYING MEANS FOR DISPLACING IT RELATIVE TO SAID CAPILLARY TUBE BETWEEN SAID OPERATIVE AND INOPERATIVE POSITIONS, AND RELEASABLE LOCK MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID LINE-WIDTH VARYING MEANS FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING THE LATTER IN ITS PROJECTED OPERATIVE POSITION AND IN ITS RETRACTED INOPERATIVE POSITION. 